1. INTRODUCTION
Central Verification Portal ("CVP", "we", "us", "our", or "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our website and through our services. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and otherwise process personal data in connection with our credential verification platform.
This Privacy Policy applies to personal data collected through our website (www.centralverification.com), and all related services. By accessing and using CVP, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.
2. DEFINITIONS
PERSONAL DATA means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
PROCESSOR means a natural or legal person who processes personal data on behalf of a Data Controller.
CONTROLLER means a natural or legal person who determines the purposes and means of processing personal data.
PROCESSING means any operation performed on personal data, including collection, recording, organisation, storage, or disclosure.
3. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We collect personal data in the following categories:
3.1 Information You Provide Directly
- •Account Registration: When you create a CVP account, we collect your name, email address, organization name, job title, telephone number, and business address.
- •Verification Requests: When you submit a verification request, we collect the applicant or credential holder's name, email, educational background, certificate details, results, dates, and institution information.
- •Batch Uploads: When you use our bulk verification feature, we collect CSV files containing multiple records with personal and educational data.
- •Communications: When you contact our support team, we retain your messages, attachments, and any information provided.
- •Payment Information: If you subscribe to a paid plan, billing information is collected through secure third-party payment processors. CVP does not directly store full credit card details.
3.2 Information Collected Automatically
- •Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance user experience, remember preferences, and analyse website usage.
- •Log Data: When you access our platform, we automatically record IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, time and date of access, and referring URL.
- •Device Information: We may collect information about your device, including device ID, hardware model, and software version.
3.3 Information from Third Parties
- •Educational Institutions: We receive verification data from universities, colleges, and training centers in response to verification requests.
- •Verification Agents: Third-party background checking firms and staffing agencies may provide data on behalf of their clients.
4. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We process personal data for the following purposes:
- •Service Delivery: To operate the CVP platform, process verification requests, and deliver verification responses.
- •Account Management: To create and maintain user accounts, provide customer support, and manage subscriptions.
- •Communication: To send transactional emails, notifications, status updates, and customer service communications.
- •Compliance and Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and court orders; prevent fraud and illegal activities.
- •Analytics and Improvement: To analyse usage patterns, improve platform functionality, and develop new features.
- •Marketing (with consent): To send promotional materials, newsletters, and product updates. You may opt out at any time.
- •Audit and Security: To maintain audit logs, detect unauthorised access, and ensure data security.
5. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING
We process personal data based on the following legal grounds:
- •Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to perform our services and fulfil contractual obligations with our users.
- •Legitimate Interests: We process data to improve our services, maintain security, and prevent fraud, balancing your rights with our organisational interests.
- •Consent: Where applicable, we obtain explicit consent before processing sensitive data or for marketing communications.
- •Legal Compliance: We process data to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and regulatory requests.
6. HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION
6.1 Internal Sharing
CVP staff with legitimate business needs (support, operations, compliance) may access personal data on a strict need-to-know basis.
6.2 External Sharing
- •Service Providers: We share data with third-party vendors who assist in payment processing, hosting, analytics, and customer support. These vendors are contractually obligated to protect your data.
- •Educational Institutions: Verification requests are shared with the institutions that issued the credentials.
- •Requesting Organisations: Verification results are disclosed to the employer, recruitment firm, or government agency that initiated the verification request.
- •Legal Compliance: We may disclose data when required by law, court order, or regulatory authority.
- •Business Transfers: In the event of merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice of any such change.
7. DATA SECURITY
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:
- •Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher. Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256.
- •Access Controls: Role-based access controls restrict employee access to personal data on a need-to-know basis.
- •Firewalls and Intrusion Detection: Our systems are protected by firewalls and real-time intrusion detection systems.
- •Regular Audits: We conduct periodic security audits and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities.
- •Employee Training: Staff handling personal data receive regular data protection and security training.
While we implement comprehensive security measures, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but remain committed to protecting your data.
8. DATA RETENTION
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
- •Account Data: Retained for the duration of your account and for 12 months after account deletion for audit and legal purposes.
- •Verification Records: Retained for a minimum of 7 years to comply with professional and regulatory standards.
- •Log Data: Retained for 12 months unless longer retention is required by law.
- •Marketing Communications: Data is retained until you unsubscribe from our mailing list.
9. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- •Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- •Right to Rectification: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- •Right to Erasure: Under certain circumstances, you may request deletion of your personal data.
- •Right to Data Portability: You may request a copy of your personal data in a machine-readable format.
- •Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we process your data.
- •Right to Object: You may object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
- •Right to Withdraw Consent: If processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@centralverification.com. We respond to all valid requests within 30 days.
10. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance platform performance and user experience:
- •Essential Cookies: Required for core platform functionality, security, and authentication.
- •Analytics Cookies: Help us understand platform usage trends and improve user interface workflows.
- •Preference Cookies: Store custom user settings and language preferences.
You can manage cookie preferences via your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may impact platform functionality.
11. THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SERVICES
Our website may contain links to external third-party websites or partner services. CVP is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party service you visit.
12. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
CVP operates globally and may transfer personal data to servers or partner nodes outside your resident jurisdiction. When transferring data internationally, we enforce appropriate safeguards including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and statutory data protection compliance.
13. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
CVP platform services are strictly intended for professional individuals aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from minors under 18. If we discover data collected from a minor without verified consent, we immediately purge the record.
14. JURISDICTION-SPECIFIC RIGHTS
14.1 Nigerian Users (NDPR)
For residents of Nigeria, personal data is processed in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) and NDPR regulations. You retain full statutory rights to access, object, rectify data, or register complaints with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
14.2 European Users (GDPR)
For individuals located in the European Union or EEA, processing adheres strictly to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You possess rights to file complaints with your national Data Protection Authority (DPA).
15. CONTACT US
If you have any questions, regulatory inquiries, or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact our Data Protection Team:
Central Verification Portal (CVP)
Support Email: support@centralverification.com
Official Website: www.centralverification.com
16. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect technological, operational, or legal developments. Material updates will be posted with an updated "Effective Date". Continued platform usage following notice signifies acceptance of updated terms.
17. DATA PROCESSING AGREEMENTS (DPA)
For enterprise clients acting as Data Controllers under privacy law, CVP provides a standard Data Processing Agreement (DPA) governing data transfers, security requirements, and sub-processor management. Contact our compliance team to request a DPA execution copy.